The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Behind the Scenes

This year the Clarence High School Drama Club musical was The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Hunchback is a show that tells the story of Quasimodo, who is a hunchbacked bell-ringer in the Notre Dame Cathedral. This heartfelt show tells the story of many different characters and spreads the message that people are primarily judged based on how they look rather than their internal character. Clarence's shows are of such high caliber because of the directors and students who work tirelessly to make the performances possible. You may be wondering, “What kind of work goes into these shows to make them as great as they are?” Let’s look deeper into the hard work behind the scenes that makes the CHS musicals so incredible to watch and to be a part of.

One aspect of the musical that is often overlooked is the diligent work put in by the hair and costume crew. Without these wonderful people making the show look its best, it would fall flat. This year, there were over 10 students who worked to make the costumes, makeup, and hair look stunning while simultaneously trying to make sure that everything stayed within the time period. Mrs. Bowman, the makeup and costume advisor and house management co-advisor, works diligently alongside the other directors to research the historical context of the show and create a vision for the costumes as well as the overall look of the show. Mrs. Bowman has been involved in the musical in one way or another for almost 10 years. She describes the work put into a show like this one as “very similar to sports teams and each role on the team working together to find success.” Each aspect of the show must work together seamlessly to create the attention to detail, precision, and overall excellence that is so well known for Clarence's shows. The costume crew is integral to this excellence and is needed to tie everything together.

The Clarence shows would not be the same without their amazing tech crew, stage crew, and the work of Mr. Merlihan, Mr. Aumiller, and Mr. Meal. The stage crew worked extremely hard to create the incredible sets that you see on stage and are in charge of the scene changes throughout the show. The tech crew is responsible for the audio aspects and effects (Peter Pecenco), projections (Henry Duquette), and lighting effects (Abby Morelli) throughout the show. The tech and stage crew is made up of about 20 people and they all played a role in making the show and transitions seamless. For Hunchback, sound management was extremely important because everyone in the cast had a mic and the show had a choir as well, so they worked hard to balance the sound. The show also had a lot of light changes that changed depending on the setting and mood created in the musical. The tech and stage crew are essential to making the show what it is today and they add so much to the quality of the overall show. 

What is a musical without music? The music that you hear during any song in a musical or behind any dialogue comes from somewhere. The pit orchestra is an essential part of the musicals at CHS. Conducted by Ms. Runfola, the pit orchestra consists of 19 incredibly talented music students who rehearse almost as much as the cast itself to make every song in the show sound remarkable. Ms. Runfola works to rehearse with the selected members of the orchestra, blend the orchestra and cast together, and conduct the final show. Combining the cast’s singing and dialogue with the orchestra’s music and putting all of the parts together in two weeks can be a very tedious process, but it is all worth it in the end. When you hear the pit orchestra, it is hard to believe that it is just made up of high school students. This is Ms. Runfola’s 13th year being involved in the musical and she prides herself in the fact that the majority of shows at CHS have an orchestra almost completely made up of students. Although she loves conducting, Ms. Runfola admits that “it’s a big responsibility – timing the songs, dialogue, setting the tempos for dance numbers, timing the applause or laughter from the audience, cuing the musicians and actors…” This just proves that an aspect of a musical that we often turn a blind eye to is so key that without it, there wouldn’t even be a show. 

Choreography is vital to a musical. It can enhance the emotional impact of parts in a show, it helps with character development, and it adds a level of excitement and energy to the performance. Mrs Kauderer is our wonderful choreographer and she has been choreographing at CHS for 10 years. She works with the cast daily during the musical process and she is truly so dedicated to what she does. Mrs Kauder works with the creative team of the show to ensure that the dances align with the theme, characters, and time period of the show. She also works with the dance captains to maintain the quality of the choreography as well. Hunchback's main dance numbers were “Topsy Turvy,” “Rhythm of the Tambourine,” “Tavern Song,” and “Heaven’s Light.” Each of these dances was unique and featured different people's skills and dancing abilities. Mrs. Kauderer works extremely hard to research and figure out choreography outside of rehearsal and she believes “It's exhilarating to witness how dance enhances storytelling, evokes emotion, and captivates the audience. While I always look for ways to refine and improve, the joy of seeing their hard work shine on stage is truly inspiring.”

Another incredibly important aspect of a musical is the vocals. For Hunchback each day after school the cast would work with Mrs Fetterly, who is the Vocal Director at CHS. Everybody in the cast had featured vocal parts as well as many challenging harmonies to learn and it took many long rehearsals and separate lessons with Mrs. Fetterly to perfect them. She has been the vocal director of the musicals for 14 years and she puts endless hours of work in on the music as well as analyzing the vocal score over the summer. Learning the vocals for the show is a process that is ever-changing and evolving and Mrs. Fetterly says, “It quite literally took a village to pull this production together, but everyone held a positive attitude and encouraged each other to persevere through even the most difficult times.”

Perhaps the main reason why Clarence's musicals are so well done is because of the direction. The director of a show has many jobs, and Mr. Vitello is not a stranger to any of them. Having been involved in the musical in many ways for 27 years, Mr. Vitello knows a thing or two about creating a great production. Whether it’s pressing the cast on proper diction or creating the right emotion for specific scenes, the director is somebody who makes the musical what it is. This year, the stakes for the show were very high. Not only is Hunchback a very demanding show, it is also the last show Mr. Vitello will direct at CHS due to his retirement at the end of this school year. Mr. Vitello’s expectations for Clarence’s musicals will always be high, not only because that is the standard but because he believes in each and every student involved in the musical in any way. There is always room for improvement, though, and one thing a good director does is push his cast and crew to be better after every rehearsal and performance. One challenge that Mr. Vitello faces while directing a show as taxing as this one is the lack of time. Rehearsals can only go on for so long, but he feels that “another week or two would be nice.” As the esteemed director leaves, one thing is for certain: the quality of CHS’s shows will never decrease. Parting with such an integral member of Clarence’s Music Department is an unfortunate thing, but Mr. Vitello is “very happy to be ending (his) CHS Drama career with such a great show and great company.”

This year Hunchback also added a new element to the show: the choir. The choir was necessary because of the intense vocal score of this production. The choir was made up of students from freshmen to seniors who were already in Chorale or Treble Chorus as well as other students who auditioned for the show. But what made the choir really special was that anyone from the school could be involved. This included any faculty and staff members who wanted to be a part of it. Unlike the cast, the choir does not have choreography or blocking but they added another layer of incredible harmonies and strength to the singing. The choir had multiple long rehearsals to learn their vocal parts in the show and they also were required to be there for all of the stage rehearsals and shows as well. This show would not be the same without the dedication of everyone involved and it was so worth it.

People come to shows at Clarence to listen to the beautiful orchestration, see the intricate set, and become dazzled by the stunning costumes. But there is one final part of the show that is so fundamental we couldn’t ignore it: the cast. The cast of every musical at Clarence consists of 22 or fewer students across all grades. One thing about the cast of a musical that is very important is the connections between each and every member. It’s noticeable onstage when the cast actually likes one another because the show flows easily without tension. This year’s cast was incredibly tight-knit, and that is perhaps why the show ended up being so well done. No matter a cast member’s grade or background, they were welcomed. Aisha Ganga, a freshman who played the role of Esmeralda, was “shocked by how kind every member of the cast was. I  couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to perform in my first high school musical with and I know the memories I made this year will last a lifetime.” That is one thing about shows at Clarence: they are not just a one-and-done thing. Cast members spend virtually all of their time outside of school with each other while rehearsing music, blocking, and choreographing a show, and because of that, great friendships are formed, which help make the show the best it can be. 

There are so many aspects that go into making a CHS musical what it is. Without over 100 students and staff working together, a show at Clarence would not be successful. This year’s musical was extremely demanding, and a lot of hard work went into the three almost-sold-out performances of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Many people do not stop to think about what really goes on behind the curtains to make a show run smoothly, but as you can see,  there are a lot of details put in. Next time you go see a show at a local theatre or even Shea’s, think about all of the hard work that goes into preparing and putting on the production you watch so comfortably from your seat.